The Latest Edmonton Medical Spa Trends: Hip or Hype?
Are you looking for an Edmonton Medical Spa that can tell you all about what's hip and hype in skin rejuvenation, body shaping, and semi-permanent eyebrow treatments? We at Crave Beauty have the answers for you in our latest blog post.
Read on to find out more on which medical spa trends are worth your time and your money!
Skin Rejuvenation
HIP: Plasma
Plasma treatments are also appropriately known as the "vampire facial" as it uses your blood platelets to stimulate cell growth. It's the perfect treatment for sun damage and scarring, reducing signs of ageing, minimizing acne spots, or even hair loss — all while giving your skin a radiant, youthful glow.
The plasma obtained from your blood for this treatment contains high concentrations of specific growth factors and proteins perfect for promoting new collagen production, damaged tissue repair, and new capillary formation — all of which facilitate accelerated tissue repair and skin rejuvenation.
The treatments begin with patients having their blood drawn, then put in a centrifuge to separate the platelets and serum from the blood cells until a solution full of platelets and growth factors is left.
This serum is injected into the face using a micro-needling technique, helping improve circulation and deliver essential nutrients throughout your skin. The serum can also be injected into the patient's scalp to promote hair growth.
Treatments generally take up to an hour to complete with minimal side effects but with long-lasting results of about one to two years, depending on your skin type and skincare routine.
For ideal results, three treatments are recommended space 4-6 weeks apart.
HYPE: PDO Threading
A PDO (polydioxanone) thread lift is a procedure designed to mimic a facelift surgery by using dissolvable sutures to rejuvenate and lift sagging skin. The procedure is tailored to target different areas of the face and body.
The PDO threads can lift skin tissue, contract fat tissues, and promote collagen production for skin rejuvenation benefits. Overall, this procedure improves skin texture and elasticity — reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Although it may sound like an excellent procedure, here is why we at Crave Beauty believe this procedure isn't worth the hype or your money
Results are more subtle than you'd see from a surgical facelift.
The lifting effect is short-lived.
If you have thin skin, the threads may be visible under the skin's surface.
There is the possibility of thread liftings causing complications to include nerve injury and scarring.
Overall, PDO threading doesn't address all the effects of ageing, like loss of facial volume, so the best results are often achieved when combined with other treatments, such as filler.
PDO threading can have many side effects, most of which are usually treatable, such as pain, inflammation, hair loss, snapping of threats, and more. Additionally, results of PDO threading typically only last six months, with all visible improvement completely fading away after a year.
Body Shaping
HIP: Ultrashape
When it comes to body shaping, the most comfortable, efficient, and effective treatments are king. UltraShape ticks all those boxes.
UltraShape is the first—and only FDA-cleared—body shaping procedure to use pulsed ultrasound energy to target your most stubborn fat. UltraShape gently uses ultrasound energy to destroy the walls of your fat cells, releasing your triglycerides (the type of fat that's stored in your fat cells). These triglycerides are then processed by your liver and eliminated from your body naturally.
Because UltraShape uses ultrasound technology, it's an entirely pain-free procedure with little to no side effects.
The average Ultrashape treatment time is about 45 minutes, with patients generally coming in for a treatment every two weeks.
HYPE: CoolSculpting
CoolSculpting® is essentially a fat-freezing procedure that targets your most resistant fat. Also called cryolipolysis, CoolSculpting is non-invasive and designed to eliminate fat that doesn't respond to diet and exercise.
Just as the name suggests, the procedure works by cooling fat to a freezing temperature, which kills the fat cells. Then, your body naturally excretes these dead fat cells through your liver in the weeks following your treatment.
Because CoolSculpting uses freezing technology and the applicator requires pinching or pulling the skin, this procedure could be uncomfortable. Some patients also experience bruising, swelling, or redness after the procedure.
CoolSculpting treatments usually take between 35 and 75 minutes, and patients need more than one treatment per visit to the clinic. Results may begin to show in as little as a few weeks or may take as long as three months to become fully visible after the last treatment.
CoolSculpting may seem like a great procedure to help to shed those stubborn pounds, but we've classified it as hype for the following reasons:
Pain, stinging, or aching at the treatment site is a common side effect of CoolSculpting - typically beginning soon after treatment and persisting for about two weeks.
Because CoolSculpting affects the skin like frostbite, it may cause temporary redness, swelling, bruising, and skin sensitivity after treatment.
Arguably the treatment isn't that effective - being found to only reduce fat cells in a given treatment area by 20 to 25%
Overall, it is essential to remember that CoolSculpting, if you should decide to get this treatment, is not an obesity treatment. You should be cautiously realistic about the results it can provide. CoolSculpting can help eliminate small amounts of excess fat and only works on subcutaneous fat, the squishy fat that sits under the skin, rather than hard fat.
Semi-Permanent Eyebrows
HIP: Ombre Powder Microblading
Ombre Powder Microblading is the method of manually implanting pigment into the skin to give a natural hair appearance. Essentially, this is a semi-permanent tattoo procedure where a microblading technician makes teeny tiny cuts into the skin and applies pigment to the cuts.
Microblading uses ultra-fine strokes that mimic your natural hair growth and flow in the same direction as your hairs to create natural results. This procedure works wonders for anyone who wants to achieve thicker, fuller brows—especially if your natural brows are thin or sparse.
Once healed, the result is natural, powdered-looking brows with an ombre effect - meaning the brows are lighter in the front before gradually getting darker throughout the arch and the tail. This method allows for a more defined brow with a soft, natural-looking powdery fill.
Microbladed brows last anywhere between 18 and 30 months. However, touch-ups can be necessary every six months or every year, depending on your skin type and preferred look.
HYPE: Brow Lamination
Okay, so brow lamination isn't ALL hype. However, it is an excellent service if you are looking for a fuller, fluffier brow look that stays put without the need for a brow gel. It also works well for those who already have full brows but have brow hairs that are naturally curly, unruly, or tend to point downwards. The process is semi-permanent and completely non-invasive.
As brow lamination involves "perming" your eyebrow hairs to create a fuller, more even look, those with thin, sparse, or even non-existent brows should look into other treatments to achieve the look they're going for.
With brow lamination, your results are temporary. To maintain your new brow look, you will need to repeat the process every six weeks on average.
Are you considering a medical spa treatment in Edmonton? Learn more about what options will work best for you and your goals at Crave Beauty Lab. Book a consultation with one of our treatment experts now.